Universal Music Group responded to a defamation lawsuit filed by Drake earlier today (January 15).
In a lawsuit, the superstar artist accuses Universal Music Group of promoting “false and malicious narratives” about him through the lyrics, singles and music video content of Kendrick Lamar’s diss songs unlike us.
The lawsuit was filed hours after Drake, through his company Frozen Moments LLC, withdrew a previous legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify that accused the two companies of “artificially exaggerating” Kendrick Lamar (Kendrick Lamar) diss song plan, Not like us.
In response to the defamation lawsuit, a spokesperson for Universal Music Group told us today that “not only are these claims untrue, but the idea that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist, let alone Drake, is illogical.”
A spokesperson for Universal Music Group added that the company “will vigorously defend this lawsuit to protect our employees and reputation.”
You can read UMG’s full statement below:
“Not only are these claims untrue, but it is illogical to think that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist, let alone Drake. We have invested heavily in his music and our employees around the world were unaware of it for years. Working tirelessly helped him achieve historic business and personal financial success.
“We have not and will not engage in defamation against any individual”
Universal Music Group spokesperson
They added: “Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used Universal Music Group to spread his music and poetry in what are traditionally shocking back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ about his How other artists feel.
“He now seeks to use the legal process to suppress the artist’s creative expression and seeks damages from Universal Music Group for distributing the artist’s music.
“We have not and will not seek defamation against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this lawsuit to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any claims that may be made frivolous, directly or indirectly, by simply writing a song.” Artist targeted by lawsuit.
Drake claims in the lawsuit that the release and publicity of the recording resulted in “physical threats to Drake’s safety” as well as a “bombardment of online harassment” and therefore “concerns for the safety and security of himself, his family and others.” .
Elsewhere in the complaint, Drake claims “the lawsuit has nothing to do with the creators” Not like us. Rather, this is all about Universal Music Group, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit and profit from allegations that it believes are not only false but dangerous.
You can read the full document here.
Statement from Drake’s legal team Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP wrote: “Drake has filed a lawsuit against his record label Universal Music Group, holding Universal Music Group responsible for knowingly promoting false and defamatory claims against him.
“Beginning on May 4, 2024, and every day thereafter, UMG used its vast resources as the most powerful music company in the world to promote dangerous and inflammatory messages designed to assassinate Drake’s character, and resulted in actual violence on Drake’s doorstep.
“UMG wants the public to believe this is a fight between rappers, but this lawsuit is not against Kendrick Lamar. This lawsuit shines a light on the consequences of Universal Music Group putting profits before the safety and well-being of artists the human and commercial consequences, and exposes the manipulation of artists and the public for corporate gain.
The original petition, filed in November 2024 but withdrawn this week, which you can read in full here, claimed that UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate streaming services and radio with a song , unlike usin order to make the song go viral, including the use of ‘bots’ and pay-to-play deals.
The petition also claims that “UMG charges Spotify a license fee that is 30% lower than its usual license fee. unlike us In exchange, Spotify will definitely recommend the song to users who are searching for other, unrelated songs and artists.
It goes on to claim: “Both UMG and Spotify have disclosed that Spotify received no compensation of any kind in exchange for featuring the song.”
Last month, in response to Drake’s accusation that he was taking a 30% cut in rates in exchange for referrals, a Spotify spokesperson told MBW: “Spotify has no financial incentive for users to watch streaming content. unlike us Beyond anything Drake has ever done.
Drake and Lamar release their records through UMG and its Republic Records and Interscope respectively.
On May 4, Lamar recorded “Not Like Us” (Interscope) as part of an intense rap feud with Drake, as part of a series of three diss tracks, all released within days of each other (other tracks is Euphoria) and knows the Graham family).
The track ranked No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking Lamar’s fourth No. 1 finish in the country and his second No. 1 finish that year. like that go through future, subway booming & Kendrick Lamar, No. 1 in April. The track also marks the first track in the United States unlike us producer mustard.global music business
